Be My Savior
by PolkadottedPandas
Summary: I watched as the shovels slammed into the frozen ground, as the diggers lowered the casket into the grave and covered it, as the people gathered around cried fake tears of remorse. Not even caring that they caused this, they all played a part in her death, even I did. I read the seven words on her tombstone that broke my heart. Max Martinez: Beloved daughter, friend, and sister.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: It's an over used topic but will not be a cliche, I do not own anything MR. It's very sad and emotional so read at your own risk!**

I stood there silently listening to the shovels breaking through the cold frozen ground. Watching as the four men lowered the casket into the hole by the two ropes underneath it, struggling with the weight of the wood and trying not to drop, then once more shoveling dirt, only this time… they were covering the person inside their tomb forever.

I stood back from the rest of the crowd. Leaning against a dead tree, watching as everyone in front of the now freshly buried grave stepped forward and placed a single white rose on top of the over turned dirt. People from school had showed up for the event, people that had contributed to her death and were now crying tears of guilt.

I waited till the ceremony was over, and everyone had driven away to walk through the lines of chairs and past the portrait of the girl that was placed on a stand to the left of the grave. She was smiling one of her rare true smiles, looking off in the distance clearly unaware of the camera, showing off her bright teeth as if she was laughing at something uncaptured by the lens.

I closed my eyes and turned away from the picture, turning my attention to the pile of dirt covered in white flowers. I walked closer and kneeled in front of it, twirling the rose with my fingers before placing it among the top of the freshly carved headstone. Noticing how the red rose contrasted with all the white, I stepped back and took in the scene before me once more.

From the intricate carving of the wings on either side of the headstone, with the elegantly carved words that didn't seem to do her justice. I backed up a few steps before turning completely, the image of her grave forever being burned in my mind, along with all the memories of her. The world had cheated her of her life, and I was to blame.

**_In loving memory of_**

**_Max Martinez _**

**_Loving daughter, friend, and savior_**

**_Gone, but never forgotten_**


	2. Chapter 2

**The chapters are short I know... but I plan on this story being 30 something chapters long so don't worry!**

*3 months prior*

"MAXIMUM ALEXIS MARTINEZ GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE NOW!" I sighed before swinging my legs off the side of my bed. Pausing my iPod sitting on my desk by my door and heading down stairs while mentally preparing myself for the pain that would soon come.

"Yes Jeb." I said once I got to the bottom of the stairs. He was standing in the kitchen by the island looking at something in the sink when he turned his head and glared at me. "Come here you little bitch." I sighed again and walked closer, standing on the opposite side of the island and noticing the beer bottles laying broken in the sink. No doubt from his lame attempt at cleaning up from the mess last night.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked, I looked up at him like he was retarded then shook my head no, knowing he was going to tell me anyways. "This is the mess you made last night that I had to clean up."

"Well Jeb, you obviously didn't do a very good job at cleaning seeing as broken glass doesn't belong in the sink. Unless, this is a new trash can." I said, watching as his ears started to turn red with anger as he walked around the island and grabbed my arm sharply, dragging me around to face the sink like he had been doing a minute before.

"You sarcastic bitch" he grabbed my hair and yanked on it, forcing my head to jerk back, and then slammed my head down so it hit the edge of the sink. A loud _thud_ rang out through the house when my head made impact, I was hunched over with his hand still clutching my hair when he jerked my head back again, only this time releasing my hair once I started to fling backwards. Landing on the stove and knocking a pan I hadn't noticed before over, spilling the boiling hot water all over my stomach and legs.

I bit my lip harshly and pushed at the pot to get it away from me, refusing to give Jeb the satisfaction of seeing me cry or scream. "Get up whore." He kicked me in the gut, probably rebreaking the ribs from a few nights ago when he took a baseball bat to my stomach, "And clean up this mess" he said before stalking out of the kitchen and slamming the front door shut.

I leaned against the oven for a minute and lifted my shirt to inspect the damage. My abdomen was completely red from the hot water, along with my thighs, and a bruise was starting to form from him kicking me. I put my shirt down and started to stand, inhaling deeply when a blast of pain was sent up my spine from the other night.

I grabbed the pot from the floor and placed it on the stove, then cleaned up the glass from the sink and wandered back upstairs to get ready for school. I quickly showered and changed into jeans and a half long sleeve shirt, pulling a brush through my hair quickly and tying it up before applying some concealer to cover up the obvious bruises covering my face, neck, and arms. I checked the bruise on my stomach once more before rushing out the door and down the street to school, hissing in pain with each step.


	3. Chapter 3

I staggered into second period right as the bell rang and slide into my seat at the back of the class near the window while Mrs. Anderson droned on about the projects we'd have to do soon. I zoned out and looked out the window, watching as two birds jumped from branch to branch on a small tree in the school courtyard, making me wish more than anything that I could fly away from my life.

"Hey" I looked up to see a boy with black hair and dark brown eyes standing next to me looking at me questioningly, "We're partners for this project we have to do. I'm Fang" he said before claiming a chair and sitting down next to me.

"Max. What's the project? I wasn't really listening…." I mumbled, cocking my head to the side to watch as Fang doodled something in his notebook. He slammed it shut when he saw me looking and sighed before turning his entire body to face mine. "We have to do an essay about each other, get to know about where they're from, what they like, and what they want to do with their life. I figured we could start at my house today since you live down the street from me, we could just carpool if you're okay with that?"

"Sure… it's probably best we start at your house first" I said right as the bell rang. He handed me a slip of paper and stood up, scrapping the metal chair against the flood in the process. While everyone quickly filed out of the room, he stayed behind and waited for the noise to die down a little before turning to me once more. "That's my number in case you can't find me after school, do you want to take your car or mine?"

"Mine" he shook his head and mumbled something about meeting me at the front doors after school before walking out of the room and down the hall.

~~~~~;;~~~~~

"So this is my house as you can see… I'm a single child and my parents are hardly ever home. I don't have many friends because I don't like people very much, and I want to get into the music industry one day."

I held my pencil to my notebook and stared at Fang as he looked back at me blankly. I tossed the book away from me and watched as it fell off the other side of his bed, pulling my legs up to sit crisscross while leaning against his headboard, "That's it? That's all there is to know about you…? I find that hard to believe."

He sighed before mirroring my position while picking at his sheets before looking back at me, "Off the record?" I nodded and leaned forward, gesturing for him to continue.

"I'm from Texas, Dallas to be more exact. I had an older brother but he committed suicide when I was seven. I was the one who found him, we moved here to try and forget. My mom and dad put everything into work, to keep themselves occupied, and they hardly even notice me sometimes which is fine. Two years ago we found out I have some heart disease and would need a transplant sometime soon, the only problem is the list is really long for donors and I'm basically on borrowed time."

I looked at him sadly, "Damn… you've definitely got the short end." He looked up from his sheets and met my eyes before busting into a fit of laughter. I jerked back slightly when he reached out and grabbed my arm to keep himself steady. Noticing my flinch he's features immediately went from amused to concern. I shook my head to try and brush it off when my phone buzzed slightly, searching the pile of blankets until I felt the cold metal and realized what time it was.

"Crap… I have to go… I'll be here tomorrow at six though so be ready. I'll see you later!" I yelled as I ran through his house and out the front door, praying my dad was late coming home and if not… praying I wouldn't hurt too badly in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

**So this is all I have so far, but plan on writing at least three more chapters this weekend. I know they are short... but it's going to be a long story, promise!**

I hadn't even closed the door when a bottle was thrown at the wall, shattering and spraying whatever was inside all over my face and shirt. I closed my eyes and breathed through the sting on my cheek from a glass shard that cut me before closing the door and dropping my bad by the foot of the stairs.

After a few minutes of hesitating I glanced up to see Jeb standing in the hallway, glaring at me with so much malice in his eyes that I shivered. Shrinking back inside myself with each step he took towards me, but keeping an emotionless mask the entire time, trying not to let him see I was afraid.

"You're late." Was all he said. I opened my mouth to explain why but felt a sudden sting as my head was whipped to the side.

He leaned in and towards my ear before growling out, "What have I said about speaking out of turn?" before standing up and slapping me once more on the other cheek, causing the burn from the cut to open even more and hurt a lot worse than before.

I sighed with relief as he turned to walk away, hoping he would leave me alone for tonight but was mistaken when he backhanded me once more. Falling to my knees from the force of the blow, I landed in the puddle of beer and glass shards that cut into my skin, mixing my blood with the alcohol and staining the wooden floors.

"You're pathetic and weak, just like your mother was. That's why she left you, she didn't want you so she left me with the burden of taking care of you and this is the thanks I get?" he swung his leg back and connected it with my stomach, smiling with satisfaction when the loud crack of one of my ribs sounded throughout the foyer, causing me to clutch my stomach as I fell to my side and curled into a ball.

I laid on the ground, staring as my blood and the spilled alcohol stained the floors and mixed together, waiting for him to leave me alone. He mumbled something to himself before spitting on the floor and telling me to clean up my mess before walking back into the living room, the sound of the football game carried down to where I was as I struggled to get to my knees once more.

Each breath I took hurt worse than the last, the sharp jab of the broken rib was like being stabbed and then having the knife pulled out, only to be stabbed again. I breathed heavily, wincing with each breath I took as I picked up each small piece of glass and placed it in my hand before dumping it in the bin. Grabbing a wet towel, I quickly wiped up the blood and alcohol that was still on the floor before rushing up stairs as quietly as I could.

I leaned against my door after reaching the safety of my room and made my way to my bathroom to see the damage. Stripping down I could see that my stomach was already bruising from his kick and my face was a dark red, as if I had been outside when it was freezing. The cut on my face had opened wide enough to have to be stitched, and I had two broken ribs thanks to his steel boots. Quickly setting to work on my wounds and causing a few of my own, I climbed in the shower to hopefully wash the stench of tequila and blood off me before crawling into bed and crying myself to sleep.

Knowing I got lucky tonight and that my injuries could have been a lot worse, I silently prayed that he wouldn't get angry once more and come up here. Listening to his cheers and the droning of the TV down stairs, I managed to drift off for the night.

**R&R for an update?**


	5. Chapter 5

**So I made it a little longer than usual since they've been pretty short to begin with. I know this is a cliche writing topic, but it won't be the same cliche ending!**

I woke up to the sound of doors being slammed and the stomping of shoes on the stairs, pushing myself up from my bed and untangling myself from the mass of pillows and blankets I sat up and stretched, wincing at the pain in my abdomen.

Throwing the blankets back I looked at the clock to see it was only 5:15. Rubbing my hands down my face and through my hair I got up and walked to my bathroom to start my normal routine of covering my bruises, starting with the bandage around my stomach.

I slowly unwrapped the ace bandages until I was left with the disgusting dark purple and blue skin underneath. You could see where the break was from the two red lines along my side, hissing in pain and biting back tears I rewrapped it and pulled on a clean shirt before moving onto my smaller wounds.

Grabbing a bottle of concealer I set to work on covering up all the bruises along my face and arms, hiding them as best I could without it being noticeable. By the time I finished it was 5:45 and I was rushing down the stairs and out the door with a pop tart in my mouth while trying to put my shoes on.

~~~~~;;~~~~~

I stood on the sidewalk in front of my house constantly glancing at my watch while rocking back and forth on my heels before I decided to start walking. I pulled my iPod from my bag and turned the volume all the way up to keep other people from talking to me as I passed.

I could hear the honking of a car close by and wondered why they wouldn't shut up, turning around the glare in the direction of the annoying person I could see an orange truck a few feet away, the driver sticking their hand out the window waving like a lunatic in my direction.

I pulled one of my ear buds out and waited for them to pull to a stop next to me, watching as the blonde turned to look at me like I was an idiot then motion for me to get in the vehicle.

"Sorry but my parents always told me never to get in a car with strangers so… what's our family password?" I asked, placing my iPod back in my bag and leaning against the door.

She taped her chin as if in thought before turning and glaring at me saying, "Get your ass in the truck?" while tilting her head and smiling innocently.

"I said password… not pass-sentence" she rolled her eyes as I threw my bag in the bed and climbed into the front seat, placing my feet up on the dash I leaned over and reached for the radio dial but had my hand slapped away.

"Who the hell do you think you are? The driver picks the music and the passenger shuts his cake hole got it?" I looked at her amused while throwing my hands up in mock surrender while chuckling, she glared at me once more than slowly pushed my feet off the dash mumbling something about don't get her baby dirty.

"Your baby? Really? I thought only guys cared that much about their cars."

She looked at me sideways before pulling away from the curb and towards our school, "Where does it say that only guys can care deeply about their trucks?"

I thought about her question but shrugged, being too tired to think of a sarcastic response. Watching as she paid attention to the road I slowly reached toward the radio dial once more, hoping I would go undetected.

"If you want to live and not be dropped off in the middle of nowhere to dig your own grave you will leave it on the station it's on"

I slumped back into my seat and glared at her before messing with the window out of boredom. When it was half way down it stopped and quickly rolled back up with a click that I hadn't heard before. Turning towards Max to ask her about it, I opened my mouth but was silenced when she wiggled her finger and pointed towards her door where the window lock was.

"Stop fucking around with my truck. When you're in your car you can do whatever you want, but when you're in mine… you play by my rules."

I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms, turning slightly to look at her as she came to a red light. She glanced at me quickly before saying, "When you break a rule, I'll tell you. So… just sit there and look pretty okay?"

I sat back in my chair and faced forward with a grin on my face, noting how she kept glancing at me out of the corner of her eye as we pulled into the parking lot. Picking a spot and turning the truck off she grabbed my jacket and yanked me back into my seat when I tried to get out.

Holding my arm over the console and sitting on her knees she looked at me as if I were a spy being recruited. "Why are you grinning?" I raised an eyebrow at her question and glanced down at her tight grip on my jacket before looking back at her, getting the picture she sighed and let go of my now wrinkled sleeve.

I reached for the door again before leaning back and whispering "you think I'm pretty" before getting out of the car and grabbing both our bags. Watching Max through the back window as she sat in the truck before getting out with a small hint of pink on her face, which being the gentleman I am humbly pointed it out by laughing.

Watching her glare turn into a small smile I poked her left cheek gently but pulled my hand away quickly at her flinch. I thought back to the other day when she flinched away when I reached out to grab her arm and opened my mouth to ask if she was okay, but was cut off by the ringing of the first bell. Max looked towards the school then back at me before walking towards the doors in a small limp which just concerned me more.

Sighing heavily I watched as the puff of air appeared then dissipated just as quickly, signaling the cold settling in before running after her. Grabbing her bag off her shoulder while ignoring her protests I exhaled several times to create a bunch of little clouds before turning to her again "I like when it gets cold and you can see your breath. It makes me feel like I'm a dragon"

I watched as she looked at me like I was retarded and then started to laugh, wincing with each breath she took, either from laughing so hard or from the pain she was in but wouldn't admit to I'm not sure.

"You're an idiot" she mumbled, walking through the doors and heading towards her locker. Knowing we were already late to first period I handed her back her bag before heading towards my locker down the hall, stopping a few feet away to turn around and ask, "but you still think I'm cute right?" before running off and laughing as she tried (and failed) to chase me.

**R&R? I'll try and update tomorrow if I have a chance**


	6. Chapter 6

Is anyone else having problems with their Fanfiction or is it just my computer that is glitching? I tried to update the most recent chapter, but it's being all screwing... I'm going to try and update again tomorrow and see if that works better, hopefully whatever the issue is gets figured out and fixed by then. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been busy with being sick and having a Doctor Who marathon while getting ready for finals. So this week and most likely the next are going to be hectic for me, so I can't promise when I'll be able to update... I'm sorry though :/ I wanted to be able to be on chapter 9 by tonight... but I'm only on chapter 6 /.\ I'll make it up to yall I promise! Thanks to those who have reviewed so far, it means a lot to me :) djcupcake, first off... I love long reviews so don't worry :P It was definitely fun to read! Secondly, the ending to this will not be like every other story with this theme I can promise you that! I don't want to give anything away because it is a huge twist then what you would expect to happened (hopefully) but I will say that there is none of that "You abused me but I guess I'll forgive you" nonsense! I do not believe in that so that will be slightly present in the story, but he won't get away with it (Again, part of the huge twist ending). Anyways, I'm going to try and update tomorrow and hopefully my fanfiction will be working properly again, but I just wanted to give y'all a heads up that I do have the next chapter! 


	7. Chapter 7

**So I think my fanfiction is working again, not sure. I'm sorry about the AN not having any paragraph spacing to it... that's what happens whenever I post a new chapter lately... so I apologize if this chapter turns out to be funky as well. But here's the actual chapter 6, it goes into Max's life some.**

It turns out Max was in nearly every class with me. I noticed her before as the girl who always sat near the back windows with her head down and hood pulled over her face as the other girls threw things at her and called her names. I never paid attention until today, when I saw her slip out the door, sliding against the wall to avoid contact with anyone.

Walking passed Lissa and her group of friends who had been picking on her, I made my way into the crowded halls and could just barely see her blonde head standing at her locker before she left the building altogether. Out of curiosity I pushed my way through the herds of teenagers and followed her out into the parking lot until she stopped walking.

"Why are you following me" I looked around even though I knew she was talking to me and stepped forward until I was standing in front of her, she didn't even look up from the ground.

"I was just wondering why you weren't going to the cafeteria for lunch. I got curious"

"Curiosity killed the cat you know" when she still wouldn't look at me, I bent down and tilted my head so I could see her face before replying with, "It's a good thing I'm not a cat than." And was rewarded with a snort and a shove before she started walking towards her truck once more.

I stood there for a minute, watching as she opened the door and started it up, then just stared at me before rolling the window down and sticking her head out, blonde hair whipping in her face as she yelled, "Are you coming or not Mr. Curious?" Smiling slightly I ran towards the passenger side and climbed in, rubbing my hands in front of the heater and she pulled out of the school parking lot and drove towards the edge of town.

~~~~~;;~~~~~

"So where exactly are we going?" I turned the radio down and looked at Fang from the corner of my eye before turning back to the road, in the twenty minutes we had been in the car he had managed to shed three layers of jackets that were now thrown about my back seat.

"Why? Thinking on telling your friends where you are when they don't hear from you?" he looked at me a little worriedly before turning back to gaze out the window. Rolling my sleeves up to my elbows as he turned the heat up a little more, I turned the radio back up and started singing along with the song once more as we drove farther away from my hell.

~~~~~;;~~~~~

Finally pulling up to my favorite diner I turned the truck off and turned to talk to Fang, stopping when I saw the chair reclined all the way back and him curled up snoring slightly. Taking my phone out I took a picture for future blackmail before shouting in his ear. He leaned the chair up before rubbing his face and giving me a death glare before getting out and stretching, as if we went on a long road trip.

"Come on princess, we don't have time for you to stretch, eat, and get back to school on time." I threw one of his jackets at him before walking towards the door, smiling at the sound of the bell at the top and the smell of pancakes.  
I stepped into the diner a few feet and off to the side, placing my jacket on an old fashioned coat rack before being squeezed into a hug followed by an ear splitting squeal.

"MAX! I'm so happy you're here! It's feels like it's been forever since you've visited me!" I turned around after being released from my hug and smiled at the curly haired girl in front of me before hugging her back.

"I was here yesterday Nudge… so it's only been 24 hours." She grinned at me before walking off and disappearing behind the counter, noticing Fang standing in front of the doorway I signaled him over and plopped down at the counter bar.

He spun around on the stool a few times before stopping in front of me, "Sooo we drove all the way out here for pancakes?" stopping my spinning at the sound of his question I stared at him open mouthed before getting back to reality.

"These aren't just pancakes Fang… these are THE best pancakes you will ever eat in your entire existence." He stared at me for a minute with a I seriously doubt that kind of look before Nudge walked towards the counter holding two plates of chocolate chip heaven.

"If I were you, I wouldn't tell Max that these aren't the best pancakes in the world. She knows her food and it's an honor to have her eat it. Mainly because she's so picky about what she'll eat, but put chocolate in front of her and she'll gobble it down as if she were a starving homeless person! I mean just look at her now!"

I looked up from my plate to glance at Nudge and Fang, attempting to say "what" with my mouth full I was rewarded with syrup running down my chin and a scold from Nudge as she walked back towards the kitchen, leaving a chuckling Fang to deal with.

"Max… you have syrup and chocolate all over your face. If I didn't know better I'd think you were a five year old."

I put my fork down and pulled my sleeves completely over my hands before wiping them across my face, which believe me… it only makes the problem worse! Groaning from the mess I created I stood up and stalked off towards the restrooms, noticing the look Nudge gave me as she followed closely behind.

Opening the door a few seconds after me she stood behind me in the mirror as I scrubbed my face and sleeves, "You always did cause a huge mess when you ate here. Your mother would get so angry at you but you'd just grin up at her and she'd melt."  
I looked up at the mirror as Nudge stepped forward and grabbed another napkin, soaking it before whipping some lose chocolate off my face that I had missed. Looking up at her I thought back to all the times I came here and all the memories I had made.

Tucking some loose hair behind my ear Nudge held me by my shoulders, "You look like her you know… she'd be proud of the woman you are today Max." I shagged my shoulders as all the happy memories were replaced with those of her no longer being there for me. Noticing this Nudge pulled me in for a less strangling hug and smoothed my hair before pulling back once more and leading us both towards the door.

Grabbing my hand and swinging it back and forth between us as we walked back towards the bar she smiled and asked, "So who's your friend?" causing me to halt in the middle of the diner.  
"It is so not what you think." She grinned at me with the Ahuh, sure it isn't kind of look before kissing my forehead and walking back behind the counter.

Noticing me, Fang stood up and grabbed our jackets before waving to Nudge as we walked out the door. Pulling our jackets on we climbed back into the truck and held our hands in front of the heat for a few minutes before the silence was broken.

"So I saw a picture of you and a woman on the wall while you were in the bathroom." He turned in his seat to look at me as I sat frozen in mine. "Was she your mom?"

Closing my eyes and sighing heavily I turned to look at him before answering, "I guess it is my turn to be interviewed… Yes it was my mom, no she's no longer in the picture. She used to take me here every week for pancakes, it was sort of our place where only we would go. When I was six… she left. She took my brother and left us. It's been my dad and I ever since, but I still come here for lunch as often as I can. Nudge is like a mother to me, she's always here for me whenever I need her and honestly this place is still my escape from everything in the world. It's the one place where people can't find me and make me feel horrible about myself. The one place Lissa and her friends can't attack me and the one place he-"I halted before I could say anything else, before I could cause my life to get worse than it already was and possibly put Fang in danger as well.

He looked at me as if wanting me to continue, as if knowing there was something I was holding back. "It's a special place for me okay? I have a lot of memories here." I turned around in my seat and started the truck, pulling out of the small diner parking lot and heading back towards school. Turning the radio on and taping the console as we got stuck in traffic, I cringed slightly as Fang took my hand and rubbed small circles on the back of it until we got back to school. Thankful for him not pushing the issue.

I pulled into a spot with a few minutes left before the bell rang, climbing out and heading towards our lockers before the halls filled with massive amounts of bodies. Grabbing our books we walked towards our next class and sat on the ground outside the door, waiting until the bell rang. Fang was still holding my hand, and when the door opened and the halls started to fill up he dropped it. Leaning in closely and barely whispering "Thanks for sharing it with me" before ducking into the classroom.

Leaving me sitting there against the cold hard metal lockers as more people crowded the halls, kicking my feet as they stumbled to their next class. Standing up I could still feel the slight burn on my cheeks, pulling my hood completely over my head I walked into the class and took the seat in the very back of the room, sliding down until I was nearly laying in the chair as pencils and erasers were thrown at me once more.

**Hopefully this didn't screw up like the AN... R&R please? **


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. I've been super ass busy lately. But I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving :) Enjoy chapter 7!**

I made it through the rest of my classes with only minimal bruises from Lissa and her click, of course that didn't justify anything or make it better. I was standing at my locker putting everything away, just a few seconds before I would be able to leave when it happened.

"Hey whore" I closed my eyes and bit my lip before slowly turning around to face Dylan and Sam. Closing my locker I gripped the strap of my bag tightly and tried to walk between them. Having all of our shoulders touching, they both reached out a hand and grabbed me, slamming me back into the wall of lockers and moving in closer. I saw a flash of black moving across the hall but couldn't tell what it was at the moment.

I winced as a locker dial was jammed into an old bruise, "Two guys versus one girl. Hardly seems fair" I mumbled as they continued to approach.

"I think it's fair, don't you Sam?" Dylan sneered while glancing at Sam who just nodded while grinning.

"Well… I'm glad your pride won't be too badly damaged when you get your ass handed to you by a girl." I dropped my bag and raised my hands in front of my face, ready to go down swinging.

"How cute. Daddy's princess is going to fight us" I winced at the nickname but didn't let my stance falter as Dylan lunged at me. Hitting him once in the nose and watching as he flinched back as blood started to drip onto his chin, he cursed at me before punching me in the stomach.

Leaning over and gasping for air Sam took the advantage and grabbed my arms, pinning them above my head as Dylan whipped smeared blood on his letterman jacket and raised a fist to strike me once more. Turning my head to the side and biting my lip until I tasted blood I prepared myself for the blow, but that still didn't prevent me from groaning as the air left my body.

He stepped back and shook out his hand for a minute before stepping towards me once more, not being able to move my hands very well I pushed all my weight against Sam and brought my feet up. Pushing my body towards Dylan as much as possible I smiled as my feet connected with his chest and watched as he fell back onto the floor, hitting his head slightly on the tile.

With one down I was able to take Sam off his guard some, bringing my left leg up a little I swung it back and connected it with his body, hearing the satisfying cries as he fell to his knees along with something that sounded like a person sneezing.

I grabbed my bag from the floor and kneeled down next to Sam as he continued to cry, "I did you a favor Sam. Now you can't easily have children. The last thing we need in this world is more imbeciles like you running around. Oh… and next time you decide to gang up on a girl, make sure that girl can't fight back."

Standing up, I stepped over Dylan's body and walked towards the door. Turning back to see Lissa rushing towards Dylan's side before she looked up and glared at me. Rolling my eyes I pushed through the door and headed towards my truck, laying my head down on the steering wheel once safely inside and just listening to the sound of the radio.

~~~~~;;~~~~~

I saw the whole thing. I was going towards Max's locker once everyone cleared out of the hallway to ask about when we were going to work on the project some more when they approached her. Dylan and Sam looked like rhinos cornering a small rabbit.

I watched as she tried to get passed them and they shoved her into the lockers, watched as she winced and flinched slightly as they approached. I walked to the other side of the hallway to try and sneak up on them but saw Max looking and hid behind the wall. I could faintly hear her saying something about the unfair advantage before mocking them about a girl kicking their ass.

I smiled to myself at her ability to be sarcastic even in these situations but was snapped out of it by the sound of gasping. I peered around the corner to see Sam pinning her arms above her head as Dylan lunged at her, my fist clenched and I growled under my breath the moment his connected with her abdomen.

Staying in the shadows some I stepped closer to try and get behind him and get him away from her. But was stopped once more when she raised her feet and kicked him to the ground herself, both of us grinning at the sound of his head connecting with the floor.

Waiting a few minutes before I approached Sam, I watched to see what she would do next. Not disappointing me, I watched as she raised her foot and kicked Sam in every guy's weakness and the smile that spread across her face as he fell to the ground sobbing. I smiled slightly and had to cover my mouth from keeping a laugh from escaping and giving myself away.

I stayed in the shadows of the lockers as she grabbed her bag once more and whispered something to Sam before walking out the door, stopping for a moment to see Lissa glaring at her next to Dylan. Smiling to myself I walked out of the school and got in my car, noticing Max was still in the parking lot.

We were a couple spaces away and I could see her laying her head on the steering wheel for a few minutes before she looked up and pulled out of the parking lot. Still wondering what we were going to do for the project, I started my car and followed her since we didn't live too far away.

She drove slowly, as if she wanted to do everything in her power to prolong the drive home. But when she finally pulled into her driveway, she got out and practically ran for the door. I waited until she was inside for a while before parking and getting out, slowly making my way to her front door before knocking.

I waited on her porch with my hands in my pockets for what felt like forever, faintly hearing raised voices inside the house and the sound of something breaking before the door was finally opened and a man I hadn't met before stepped out.

"We aren't interested in anything you have to offer." He said in a monotonous voice before stepping back and closing the door in my face.

I stood there a minute, just staring at the wood confused before knocking once more and being greeted by the same guy.

"Look kid-"

"I'm Max's partner at school, we're working on a project and I was just wanting to know when she'd be free to work on it with me. I'm not selling anything." I quickly spilled out before he could slam the door in my face once more.

He looked at me curiously before turning to look inside the house at something before looking at me once more. "She's busy right now. Try tomorrow at school." Was all he said as I was face to face with the door knocker.

I stood there for a few minutes, pulling my hands out of my jeans to pull my coat around me more as it had started to get colder. I rubbed my hands together for warmth as I slowly made my way down the few porch steps when I heard more raised voices and something shattering.

Turning on the steps to glance at the door, I walked over to one of the windows and glanced inside. Seeing the guy from earlier holding a broken beer bottle and glaring down at the floor that held a cowering Max, surrounded by glass shards and the beer it once held. I watched as he raised the remainder of the bottle and as she brought her hand up to shield her face before it was smashed on her arm and head.

I backed away from the window some and ran my hands through my hair then down my face as I processed everything. The sight of Max cowering on the floor below who I assumed to be her father versus the Max who beat up the Captain and Co Caption of our school football team was a stark difference. But now, now the bruises and flinching made sense. Now I knew just how bad Max's life really was, and I had no idea what to do to help.

**R&R please**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so sorry I haven't updated all week... I've been slammed with finals and rewriting this chapter so many times until I thought it was perfect for y'all. It's short, but more of a filler/some what important chapter. So don't hate me. I WILL update again this weekend!**

It was hell to walk. Every step felt like it would be my last, like every bone in my body was shattering at once. I couldn't breathe, broken ribs stabbed at my skin with each inhale and exhale. It's an honest surprise that I made it all the way through my first four classes before I asked to see the nurse.

Of course I didn't go, I never did. I walked out of my history class, one hand clutching my stomach and the other trailing the lockers to keep my upright. Black dots seemed to dance around my eyes as everything seemed to spin, and I soon found myself slowly sliding down the wall until I was laying on the floor until everything faded to black. The last thing I saw looked like the angel of death rushing towards me, and I couldn't help but smile for gratitude.

~~~~~;;~~~~~

I was walking down the hall towards the office when I saw Max stumbling out of her class. Running her hand against the lockers as if she were a blind person trying to find their way, while her other hand clutched at her stomach where her shirt was dark red. I could see her hand on the wall slowly getting closer and closer to the ground, and then she was laying on it, huddled up in the fetal position.

I ran towards her and saw her smile as I approached before passing out, the hand that had been holding her stomach had fallen to lay flat against the floor near her head, was covered in blood. I checked her pulse like I had seen in movies and noticed that it was faint before I started screaming for help. Causing people to come pouring out of the classrooms to circle around and stare.

"SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING! WHY ARE YOU JUST STARING!" I shouted as more people crowded around, not lifting a finger to help her.

"GOD DAMN IT! EITHER DO SOMETHING OR GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY YOU MORONS!" I looked to see the people parting as the nurse rushed through to get to Max. Falling to her knees beside her she pushed my gently out of the way and checked her pulse. "Fang, I called the hospital and they're be here in a few minutes. I need to get everyone out of the way so they can get through when they arrive, I need you to stay with her until they do okay?" I nodded my head and slid back to my previous spot as she stood up and started herding people away from us.

The sound of the sirens caused a few girls to scream, but the sound of shouting men cut them off. Three guys shoved through the remainder of the crowd, one wheeling a gurney behind him as the other two shoved me out of the way to get to Max. One of them put a mask on her face while the other lifted her onto the gurney before rushing her towards the door.

I stood there stunned for a minute before I rushed after them, standing behind one of the guys impatiently as they loaded her into the ambulance before I ducked under his arm and climbed onto the bench beside her.

"Hey kid! You can't be in here!" The paramedic I snuck past grabbed my arm and tried to drag me out when the nurse emerged behind him. Placing her hand on his arm that held a firm grip on my own, she looked at him sternly before saying, "Sir, Nick is the one who found Max passed out. He has every right to go and make sure she is okay. Now if you would stop wasting precious time and leave already, that'd be great."

The man slowly released his grip and backed up as to close the doors, running to the front of the vehicle and jumping into the passenger seat before speeding off towards the hospital.

**I once had a very vulgar nurse, she and I got along great for our lack of a filter :P Anyways, as I said, short but important! R&R and I'll try and update tomorrow if I'm not too busy.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I truly love you guys. You are all so amazing and the main reason I love writing. Thank you for being so enthusiastic towards my stories and continuing to read them :) It means a lot!**

I felt like I was floating, or rather flying. I'm not sure why I thought of that, but I did and it was comforting. I was soaring through the crystal clear sky, the wind ruffling my tawny brown feathers that spanned fourteen feet across, I closed my eyes and folded my wings in to free fall a little before snapping them back out.

I did a couple flips and dives until I was floating upside down with a smile on my face, the sun shinnying in my eyes as I soaked in the warmth. But in an instant, I went from happy to depressed. The sky went from the warm and clear to dark and grey. Lightning struck out at me and tried to push me back to Earth, thunder clapped in my ears like a drum.

And suddenly, I was falling. Flailing my arms and legs to try and grasp at anything, falling through freezing cold clouds on my decent towards the solid ground below. The ground that would crush me flat and kill me on impact. Realizing that flailing wasn't working, I pulled my knees to me chest and shut my eyes, screaming as I continued to plummet.

~~~~~;;~~~~~

I was sitting by her bed, the same place I had been since she was brought in here. I was exhausted but sleep just wouldn't come, I gripped her hand tightly and listened to the steady beep of the heart monitor. Leaning my head back against the uncomfortable head rest, I closed my eyes to get rid of the burning of holding them open for hours. Thinking about everything that had happened in the last 48 hours.

_The two paramedics pushed Max through the hospital doors, shouting for a doctor as several nurses approached. Someone put an IV in her arm as they continued to push down a hallway, not even looking as to where they were going. _

_I rushed in shortly behind them, being held back when they pushed through the critical care doors. A nurse kept shoving my shoulders back and trying to lead me away, but I kept resisting, trying to get through the doors to be next to Max. To make sure she was alright, but the nurse wouldn't have it. _

_She steered me over to the waiting room and handed me a clip board, asking me to fill out anything I knew about family they could contact for her. I stared at the paper for hours, not filling anything in because I honestly didn't know. It felt like eternity before a doctor walked up to me. _

_"Are you the boy that found her?" I looked up at him and nodded quickly, standing up and following him when he signaled me. We walked down several hallways, turning this way and that before finally stopping in front of a closed door. I could see through the little window Max laying on a bed, hooked up to a couple machines and a tube in her mouth. _

_"She had massive internal bleeding, and a cut on her side that had become infected. The stitches we assume she put in herself had come out, causing the external bleeding that stained her shirt. She's fairly dehydrated and malnourished and the broken ribs make it hard for her to breathe, so we're assisting her. We were able to stop most of the bleeding, but sir, do you have any idea what may have caused such injuries?"_

_I kept staring through the small window in the door as I shook my head at his question, I heard him sigh before opening the door for me and allowing me inside, saying something about trying to contact her parents. _

_I pulled one of the crappy chairs from a small table in the corner to sit beside the bed, grabbing her hand gently and rubbing small circles into her knuckles as I listened to the steady beep of the heart monitor and her labored breathing. _

I must have fallen asleep at some point in recalling the events, because I was startled awake by the sound of one steady beep, not the usual rhythm they produced, but an annoying ear splitting sound that caused me to panic. I sat up quickly and grabbed a control by Max's side, beating the 'call nurse' button until it nearly broke.

Several people crashed through the door and shoved me towards the wall to get to her side, they did all kinds of weird things that I can't even describe to try and revive her, even wheeling in a defibrillator.

I watched in horror as they prepared the machine and one nurse raised the paddles over Max's chest and yelled "Clear" watching as her body arched and fell back to the bed as the nurse yelled again. They did this a few times, until we stood there silent, praying the heart monitor would go back to its steady rhythm.

We stood there, the nurse holding the paddles a few inches over Max's chest, and everyone else in the room silently staring, holding in a breath, waiting.

**I know... I'm a horrible person, R&R?**


	11. Chapter 11

**I felt bad for the horrible cliffhanger I was planning on leaving y'all with.**

My head felt fuzzy, as if a bunch of butterflies were flapping around inside it. I opened my eyes and immediately shut them against the brightness of the fluorescents, opening them more slowly this time I brought a hand to my forehead where I felt a bandage.

I slowly pushed myself up and sat against the pillows, noticing the IV in my left arm and someone's head laying on the edge of the mattress by my legs. I jumped slightly before recognizing the black mane of hair and turned to take in my surroundings.

I was in a medium sized hospital room, a bathroom pushed into the far left corner and a small round table near the door. I could hear voices outside the door and tried to peer through the tiny window to see who it was, but failed.

I was inspecting the damage on my body when the door open and Jeb stepped in, rushing to my side to sit on the bed and hug me. I went stiff as he wrapped his arms tightly around my shoulders, putting pressure on my abdomen but didn't make it obvious to the doctor standing behind him.

He coddled me and pretended to be a caring father until the doctor left before he turned his glare on. He eyed Fang still lying his head on the side of the bed before turning back to face me, jabbing a finger painfully into my chest and whispering, "What the hell did you tell them."

I winced from his sharp poke and shook my head, "I just woke up. I haven't told anyone anything. I swear." I croaked, my throat sore and dried out. He leaned back and removed his hand before standing and pacing the room, wiping his hand over his face before turning to point at Fang.

"Does he know anything?" he asked harshly, again I shook my head. "It better stay that way unless you want your little boyfriend to get hurt too."

"I'm not her boyfriend sir. We're just friends." I turned to look from Jeb to the newly awake Fang, his hair was sticking up from all angles as he rubbed the palms of his hands into his eyes.

"Excuse me, but I was talking to my daughter. Who the hell are you anyways and why are you in here?"

Glaring slightly at the tone Jeb used he responded, "I'm the one who found Max passed out in the hallway at school, they let me in to make sure she was alright."

Jeb grunted in response as Fang stood up and stretched, making his way to the door, I stared at the back of his head, pleading for him to turn around and notice my fear of being left with Jeb. Stopping before he turned the knob he turned to look back at me. "I'm just going to get some coffee," he turned to glance at Jeb worriedly, "I'll be back in a minute." And left the room.

As soon as Fang was gone Jeb started to walk around the room, gathering my clothes that had been washed at some point and throwing them at me. "Get dressed, we're leaving." Was all he said.

I struggled to get out of the bed, but eventually made my way over to the bathroom. Closing the door, I leaned against it and tried to steady my breathing. I placed my folded clothes on the toilet seat and gripped the edges of the sink until my knuckles went white. Looking into the mirror I jumped back slightly at the person staring back at me.

I had a huge band aid on my forehead and a bandage wrapped around my neck that disappeared under the collar of my hospital gown. I stripped quickly and realized it went all the way around my stomach, a couple spots had blood that soaked through. There was another bandage on my upper thigh and a big band aid near my elbow.

I knew what was hiding under the bandages, and could only imagine that my make shift stitches had failed. I unwrapped the bandage around my stomach, and nearly lost what little food I had inside me. My rib cage was a disgusting yellow with spots of blue and purple here and there, I quickly wrapped the bandage back up and threw on my clothes before sitting on the toilet seat while crying softly.

~~~~~;;~~~~~

I tried to hurry and get back to Max's room after leaving the vending machines with my crap coffee, stepping back through the door I noticed the blankets pulled back and Jeb standing in front of the windows with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Where's Max?" I stepped in farther and closed the door behind me, taking my seat by the bed.

He turned slightly and quickly regarded my presence before turning back towards the window, "She's getting changed, so we can leave soon."

I stood up out of shock from his response, spilling my coffee on my hand some by the sudden action. "You can't take her."

He whirled to face me, ears red with anger as he stepped towards the bed and placed his hands on the mattress, "I'd like to see you stop me."

I could feel my face heating up with my hatred towards the guy, thinking back to the other night when I saw him standing over her laughing as he hit her. "I know what really happe-"

"Fang, don't." We both turned to look at Max as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom, her dad grabbed a bag sitting on another chair near the window and placed a hand on her back, pushing her roughly towards the door.

I clenched my fists with every step they took, and watched helplessly as he left the room with her. Throwing my coffee against the wall, I shouted in anger before rushing after them, I watched as Jeb signed the release forms and Max stared at me over her shoulder, silently shaking her head no.

Following them to the main doors, I glared daggers at him as he pushed her into the truck and drove off. Throwing my hands to my hair I pulled at it slightly before punching the wall, making a few people jump as I stalked out of the building.

**I probably won't be updating again until Sunday, but I'll try. Thanks for the amazing reviews guys! This story has surprisingly reached over 1,000 views! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Just an AN so if you don't want to read it, you don't have to obviously. But I just wanted to apologize for not updating this story soon. I haven't had the time to write the next couple chapters with finals and Christmas break coming up. I won't have internet access during my break so I won't be able to update until the 27 at the latest. During that time I'm going to work on the next few chapters though, that will be my assignment over the break! I'm sorry again for the late updates!**

**Fly on, **

**Jenn **


	13. Chapter 13

**I couldn't let y'all go till the 27th without updating at least once. Merry Christmas (almost) guys! **

If you go to the hospital for internal bleeding, you probably shouldn't check out and go home a day later. Especially if a bunch of your abusive father's friends are standing around your living room waiting for you to return.

I should probably back track some. Jeb surprisingly didn't say anything to me on the car ride back to the house, he had his hands clenched so tightly around the steering wheel that his knuckles were white, and a straight face. It was a lot scarier than if he had said anything to say the least.

We got home and he intentionally rammed up the drive way bump, jostling me and causing pain to shoot through my body. Getting out and slamming the door he stalked towards the porch without looking to see if I was following. Breathing deeply through the pain I slowly got out and hobbled towards the open front door where I could hear multiple voices.

I stood at the bottom of the porch steps and looked up, closing my eyes for a minute before facing the hell that would surely come. I felt something cold hit my face and realized it was snowing lightly, white flakes barely coated the yard and were collecting on my shoulders when I finally stepped into the house.

Jeb had his back to me and his arms raised as if explaining something, four of his friends crowded around him facing my direction. They were all tall, ranging from 6' to 6'4 in height. They all turned their heads from Jeb to glance at the person who interrupted before glancing back down at him.

He turned slightly to look at me, then nodded to the guys without turning back around. After his signal, one of the guys stepped to the side to reveal the coffee table that was loaded with weapons. From baseball bats to knives, the wood top was completely covered. I looked from the table to the five guys standing in front of me and couldn't help but gulp loudly out of fear.

They smiled evilly (cliché right?) and one turned to whisper something to Jeb along the lines of, "You didn't tell us she was pretty, I'll pay extra if you let me-"before Jeb quickly yelled no at him. Well, can't say he doesn't have a nurturing bone in him now can we?

The guy, let's call him perv, slunk back slightly before stepping forward to grab the bat off the table. The others grabbed for random weapons and formed a half circle as they all tried to fit down the hallway to advance me.

"You know, you can't ALL fit in the hallway at the same time. It's physically impossible." I pointed out, laughing silently to myself at my good remark before they growled and ran at me. I jumped back into the corner wall next to the front door and put my arms up over my head as the first blow was brought down on me.

I went in and out of consciousness several times, not remembering half the hits I took, only the pain that followed. I had somehow managed to make my way upstairs and into my bathroom, stripping to examine the damage. The beating came back in flash backs as I showered and wrapped my new wounds, a knife cutting my side or a baseball bat slamming into my back, causing me to slam to the floor out of breath.

I brushed my teeth and stumbled out of the bathroom before flopping down on my bed, not even bothering to cover up. I laid facing away from the door, reaching towards my nightstand to grab the picture of my mom and brother and turning to lay on my back. Clutching the picture to my chest I sighed heavily then winced before falling asleep.

**I'm so sorry that it's short, but it's leading up to the events in the next chapter (which will be longer) that I will be working on over the break. I'm leaving tomorrow for vacation and most likely won't have internet. But if I do, I promise I'll update! If not, I'll update on the 26th or 27th !**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hope everyone's holidays are going well. I just got internet service again, so I apologize for not updating when I said I would. **

I stayed home from school that day, and the following eight days after that. It had been hell the day after getting home from the hospital. You know when you go to the gym, and the next day you're sore as hell? Imagine that, only twenty times worse. That's what I was going through now.

It felt like I had an elephant sitting on my chest. Every breath hurt, as if there was a knife being pushed in between my ribs with each inhale, which told me I had a few broken ribs. Every movement hurt, like I was being repeatedly run over with a dump truck by just the slightest movement. My head was pounding, feeling like there were little tiny construction workers jack hammering inside my skull, causing every noise around me to seem amplified.

Fang stopped by a few times to bring me my homework and to work on the project some, at first he didn't get passed the front porch since Jeb was home. But then he started waiting for him to go to work before coming over, letting himself in and staying until right before he got home.

It was nice having the company, but terrifying that he knew the situation, and that at any moment, Jeb could come home early and Fang would be in danger. I hated the thought of someone I knew having their life on the line because of me, hating the thought of Jeb doing something to them. Hurting me was one thing, I could handle that. But I couldn't live with myself if someone else was hurt because of me.

"Max? Earth to Maxi, you in there?" I snapped my head up to see Fang's face covered with concern. I waved my hand at his expression and tried to sit up slowly to lean against my head board. Seeing me struggle, he jumped forward to grab my elbow and gently help me up, completely ignoring my protests.

I glared at him slightly but was silently grateful for the help, "Anyways, what did you say?" Fang moved to grab his notebook before coming to sit next to me, mirroring my position down to the crossed ankles.

"I said, we should probably work on the project some more. I don't have anything written down for you yet."

I turned to look at my hands that were folded together in my lap before turning to look back at him, "Well… my mom left my dad when I was young, she only took my younger brother Ari with her. We haven't seen them since. My dad started drinking and spiraling out of control after she left him. He just couldn't handle it. And then I met you, and now we're here." I looked at him blankly as he let his pencil fall from his hand while he glared at me.

"You said you hadn't written anything down for me yet, so I don't know why you aren't writing." He smirked slightly before turning back to his paper and scribbling something down, "So Max… I'm not going to put this in the essay or anything. But when did he start abusing you…"

I bit my lip and looked back down at my hands, trying to think of something to say that would change the subject. "I love chocolate chip cookies. Like seriously love them. Like 'I'll fight a person over them' love them." I said, tapping my finger on his notebook, "You might want to write that down."

He sighed before turning back to his paper, he didn't bring it up again that day.

**I'm sorry this one is short, It's a filler chapter. The next chapter will have a lot of stuff happening in it, I'm working on it now but it's going to take a while because I want it to be perfect for y'all. So hang in there! R&R please :) **


	15. Chapter 15

**I'M SO SORRY! I feel so freaking horrible about not updating you guys... I just recently got a job so I'm super busy with that and school and I just haven't been able to think of anything. I've written this chapter literally 24 times trying to make it perfect for y'all and I still don't think it's good enough... But I didn't want y'all to give up on the story, so here it is. The major cliff hanger you will all hate me for.**

I had finally gone back to school, and the only person who seemed to give a damn was Fang. No one else noticed I had even been gone, and the whole fiasco from two weeks ago was forgotten about.

I was standing at my locker, or more so being crushed against it, as everyone filled the hallway making a beeline for the lunch room. Pushing myself as much as possible into the wall, I waited for the crowd to die down before breathing out a sigh of relief. Stuffing my last book in my locker, I slammed the door and started towards the exit when my phone rang.

"Hey Nudge, I'm actually on my way to your place now." I say, pushing the front door open with my shoulder and stepping out into the brisk air.

I hear what sounds like sniffling on the other end and stop on the front steps, "Nudge? Are you okay?"

"Max… I really need to talk to you. It's about your mom and brother… they didn't- can you just come down here fast please? It's too important to say over the phone." I take my phone away from my ear and stare at the screen, Nudge had never talked about my mother much, especially her leaving.

"I'll be there in a few minutes." I hear a click on the other end as I slight walk/run towards my truck, jerking my keys out of my bag in the process.

"MAX!" I turn my head and see Fang standing in the doorway of the school, books falling out of his hands and one of his arms stuck through the sleeve of his jacket. I wave my arm to signal for him to hurry up and continue walking towards my car.

"I thought you were going to wait for me by the door?" he puffs out, even though the door wasn't that far from my car, "I was, but Nudge called and it sounded urgent."

~~~~~;;~~~~~

About half way to Nudge's café Max's phone starts vibrating in the cup holder. She glances at it slightly before turning back to the road and slightly picking up her speed. Ignoring the constant ringing.

"Okay, as much as I love to listen to ACDC, can you please answer your phone?" I pick it up and hold it out to her, moving it up and down in my fingers until she takes it from me and answers.

"Nudge, I'm almost there. I'm like five minutes awa- what do you mean? You said you wanted to talk to me in pers- Nudge what happened? What's going on? NUDGE!" she throws her phone at the dash of her truck, where it slams against the window with a loud thud.

I wait a few minutes for her to cool down some before asking, "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know. Nudge told me not to come, it sounded like something was wrong. She sounded scared." Was all she said and she picked her speed up and pulled into the parking lot of the café.

The few times that she's taken me here, I've been able to become familiar with the café. The small diner type façade of the building, looking like something out of the 70s or 80s, with the little spinning diner sign. The light blue paint that went around the top of the building in a long thick strip, and the rest just plain white. The table booths and bar stools slightly visible through the windows with the red pleather and gold trims. The little "open" sign always lit up in the window and a classic gum ball machine by the front door. The picture frames and awards of customers celebrating birthdays, of Max with her mom and brother for her fourth birthday party, of the diners first dollar or opening ceremony.

I had gotten accustomed to this place. Became familiar with all the people that usually came here at this hour and the layout of the building, I've even became familiar with everything they served and how they cooked half the things they made. But now, all that was gone.

The scene before us was no longer the diner I had grown used to. It no longer looked warm and inviting, and it no longer held the same memories or beauty it had before. No, the scene before us was of destruction and pure hate. It was the scene of total chaos taking over the world, it was the scene of burned rubble where the diner had once stood.

The old booths and bar stools were still standing in their original places, and a few walls were left standing, making it hard to know where they used to be. There was glass and dust everywhere, broken scorched pictures laying under wooden beams. The one of Max and her family had survived, but her mom and brother's faces had been burned, almost as if by a lighter.

I had been standing where the door had once been, looking up I noticed Max wandering around the center of the disaster, kicking pieces of wood or glass with her foot.

"Who… why would somebody do this?" I stepped forward and turned her to face me, wrapping my arms around her shoulders and rubbing her back lightly.

After a few minutes Max pushed away from me and wiped her face with her sleeve, grabbing my hand she started heading back towards the truck when she froze and looked back. "Did you hear that?" I looked at her confused for a minute before listening for any sound around us. A few feet away, I could hear glass moving and headed towards the direction of the sound.

Kneeling slightly, I started to push the rubble away in a wide sweep of area until I brushed against something soft, looking towards Max I turned back towards where my hand was and started moving things away from the fabric I had found.

She came to join me and we had soon found an apron covered in dust and blood, a few feet away from it laid Nudge. With her hand over her chest and a pool of blood soaking the dirt around her.

**R&R? I'll try and update when I'm free which might not be for a while, I'm seriously sorry I've gone this longer without updating you guys... :(**


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